Opinion on this lighted plant stand?

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Actually I have a pretty good idea having used many, many different LED lights since they were first introduced for plant lighting. The lights on these units are actually brighter than many of mine and they will do fine.
Though I am a do it yourself kinda guy, if you want it all in one package, I would go for it. The more people balk at it, the more convinced I am that its a good unit at a decent price. The OP is welcome to send me a PM if further discussion is warranted. I can give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from 60 watts of 5,000 k lighting with a 84% cri.
And yes T-8 is a term recently used for some LED lights that was borrowed from the fluorescent light offering. It is smaller in diameter than a T12 but more than a T5. It is really irrelevant when discussing LED lighting but significant in fluorescent.

Sold, on that advice. I'm going to give it a try. I spent another 2+ hours looking into T8 LED 30W lighting, and looking at other stands last night. This one has a good price and if the lights end up sucking I'll get a different lights like these , or the $70 dollar version. Actually if you google "Monios T8 LED grow light" they seem to get nice reviews.

Good advice from everyone, and I'll PM you if I need any more lighting advice. Thanks. I'll post a pick after it's assembled.

 

[penumbra]

60 watts? So what?

Critical, though admittedly all are not equal. Most shop light LED are about 34 watts.

Color temp?

Not terribly important unless you care about delivering what the plant needs for the process its going through. It is very important for the way I grow my plants and types of plants.

Color rendering? Irrelevant.

, the closer you get to 100% CRI, the worse of a plant light it will be.

Acknowledge 2nd statement and that is why I recommend the 500k 84cri over the 2900k 95 cri.

We will have to agree to disagree. But I doubt there is many people on this site that have used interior plant lighting more than I have. Sure, there will be some, but not many. But I believe that on this issue you have made some statements that are categorically wrong.
I expected this and that is why I invited the po to send me a pm.

plants don't care.

Really!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Just to help people wrap their minds around the difference between "light you see" versus "light that gets absorbed by plant chlorophyll" check out some of the professional grow lights that are being produced by Phillips for commercial plant growing indoors.





Many people use color temperature (Kelvin) as the main factor when evaluating grow lights, however, Kelvin only measures how light looks to the human eye— i.e. whether white light has a warmer or cooler color temperature to it. Color temperature tells us very little about the actual color spectrum distribution of a light, which is what actually impacts plant growth. This color spectrum cannot always be perceived accurately by the human eye, which is why lights with the same Kelvin that look identical in color temperature can have different spectrum profiles which will have different effects on plant growth.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Did I miss some technical information somewhere?

"what to expect from 60 watts of 5,000 k lighting with a 84% cri"

Without trying to sound critical - that information is irrelevant when it comes to plant lighting. 60 watts? So what? Color temp? Doesn't matter. Color rendering? Irrelevant. Just keeping it real. Plants only care about photosynthesis. Light bands absorbed by chlorophyll are well-known, and in fact, the closer you get to 100% CRI, the worse of a plant light it will be. Might be great for studio lighting for a professional lighting studio - but plants don't care.

I get what your saying and appreciate it. I learned quite a bit from the link you posted. These are sold as grow lights and similar to these , like you mentioned before the description leaves a lot to be desired. Price & convenience is playing a factor in my decision as well time. I did read a lot of good reviews, and what technical data I could find was sparse so, I'm going with other users experience in the decision.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Just to help people wrap their minds around the difference between "light you see" versus "light that gets absorbed by plant chlorophyll" check out some of the professional grow lights that are being produced by Phillips for commercial plant growing indoors.

View attachment 456048

View attachment 456049

Huh. I was in a grow facility last year and you had to put on these special sunglasses. And the light was white.

 

[penumbra]

Just to help people wrap their minds around the difference between "light you see" versus "light that gets absorbed by plant chlorophyll" check out some of the professional grow lights that are being produced by Phillips for commercial plant growing indoors.

View attachment 456048

View attachment 456049

Nobody uses these blurple lights anymore. They were a novelty but have gone the way of the dodo. It sounded too good to be true, and it was.
The fact that people are working in a warehouse designed grow area without eye protection is ludicrous and the entire "ad" obscene.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

But I believe that on this issue you have made some statements that are categorically wrong.

Like...?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Huh. I was in a grow facility last year and you had to put on these special sunglasses. And the light was white.

Depends what you are growing. I started to touch on this in the other article about continuous band lighting versus spectral band lighting. Continuous band lighting can include all spectra... but plant chlorophyll still only absorb two bands. However the balance of those bands can be used to stimulate different plant reactions, for example flowering and fruiting versus growth. Protective eye covers are to protect your eyes if you look directly into a broad spectrum light - similar to how you wouldn't want to look directly into the sun... or for that matter, a metal halide warehouse light.

 

[lehigh4me]

I have bought 2 sets of the 4-packs of Monios-L T5 LED Grow Light, 4FT on Amazon. I put them on metal racks similar to what you are looking at. I have been very happy with the results. I would definitely buy them again. Hope you find what works for you.

 

[ShadyStump]

Ya know, people around here talk about soil wars as if they're utterly brutal, but I've actually seen people get more worked up over lights than anything else.
I think it's that everyone is always looking for THAT ONE factor out of all the different aspects of lightning that will make it an easy choice, when really there is NO ONE FACTOR. You have to consider everything you know about about a light each time you go to buy.

Just an observation.

 

[Srt8madness]

I use something similar to this, with a standalone shelf. Keep in mind you're assembling the shelf yourself, regardless of if it comes with lights or not. So might as well get better lighting for the same price.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09TVDLD5W/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams

 

[penumbra]

I use something similar to this, with a standalone shelf. Keep in mind you're assembling the shelf yourself, regardless of if it comes with lights or not. So might as well get better lighting for the same price.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09TVDLD5W/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams

This are indeed excellent lights and at a good price. I am now buying Spider Farmer lights that are a bit more expensive but I like the built in dimmer control and they burn cool. I dont use these on narrow shelves though because much of the footprint of the light is lost. They are for illuminating a 2x2 / 3x3 area. I just got this light today.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NWXLD71?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

It has a 2 x 4 foot footprint. Will hook it up in the next couple days over a shelf space that is literally 2x4 foot.
For the op, I still think the light you are considering to be a good value. There is much to be said for having all you need in one package.

 

[Srt8madness]

Nice! I'm running the Bloomspect SS1000 with the better LM301B diodes, and a cheaper one I got before I knew better. I set my grow trays sideways on the racks to take advantage of the 2x2 footprint. I'm not a very serious indoor grower though, being in Texas most of my stuff can stay outside. I like indoors for seed(ling)s and propagation.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

So let me try to suggest something completely non-controversial

In terms of artificial lighting setups you should be most concerned with:

I x S x C x P

Where I = intensity (ie the "brightness" of the light)
S = spectrum
C = coverage
P = photoperiod

@penumbra and I were arguing about spectrum, but hopefully not the other factors. You can have perfect spectrum, but if the intensity is too low, it doesn't matter. Likewise coverage - which includes not only the distance from the fixture, but the impact of shadowing on plants grown with fixed point light sources. And of course photo-period, which requires you to have a light timer at the minimum, since it has been shown that plants do not grow best under 24/7 lighting.

That's why it is important to understand the details of your horticultural light setup. So many fixtures on Amazon are cheap Chinese fixtures that simply state (in the description) what you want to hear. Do you believe a listing that says it is heavy in blue and red spectrum... and yet shows a yellow light fixture?

 

[ShadyStump]

So let me try to suggest something completely non-controversial

In terms of artificial lighting setups you should be most concerned with:

I x S x C x P

Where I = intensity (ie the "brightness" of the light)
S = spectrum
C = coverage
P = photoperiod

@penumbra and I were arguing about spectrum, but hopefully not the other factors. You can have perfect spectrum, but if the intensity is too low, it doesn't matter. Likewise coverage - which includes not only the distance from the fixture, but the impact of shadowing on plants grown with fixed point light sources. And of course photo-period, which requires you to have a light timer at the minimum, since it has been shown that plants do not grow best under 24/7 lighting.

That's why it is important to understand the details of your horticultural light setup. So many fixtures on Amazon are cheap Chinese fixtures that simply state (in the description) what you want to hear. Do you believe a listing that says it is heavy in blue and red spectrum... and yet shows a yellow light fixture?

Actually, that's a very simple yet still comprehensive breakdown.
And thank you for not saying PAR/PPFD. This is a very simple way to understand and choose lights, but can be very misleading if not taken relative to the others you mentioned, right up there with wattage. I've noticed the two are actually generally correlated for most off the shelf brands.

That said, for OP's needs, we're not shopping for a setup for indoor growth necessarily, but just temporary life support for a couple months.
With the lights chosen he should see his trees slowing to craw, but remain healthy. Not actively grow all through winter.
If he has other expectations, yes, he'll want better lighting. Otherwise, these will suffice, and that's the point at this time.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

So let me try to suggest something completely non-controversial

In terms of artificial lighting setups you should be most concerned with:

I x S x C x P

Where I = intensity (ie the "brightness" of the light)
S = spectrum
C = coverage
P = photoperiod

@penumbra and I were arguing about spectrum, but hopefully not the other factors. You can have perfect spectrum, but if the intensity is too low, it doesn't matter. Likewise coverage - which includes not only the distance from the fixture, but the impact of shadowing on plants grown with fixed point light sources. And of course photo-period, which requires you to have a light timer at the minimum, since it has been shown that plants do not grow best under 24/7 lighting.

That's why it is important to understand the details of your horticultural light setup. So many fixtures on Amazon are cheap Chinese fixtures that simply state (in the description) what you want to hear. Do you believe a listing that says it is heavy in blue and red spectrum... and yet shows a yellow light fixture?

Arguing is a good thing when civil & yours was. People are conditioned to think an argument is a bad thing. Argument = reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong. Sure they can get heated and emotional, but questioning yourself is a good thing.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Arguing is a good thing when civil & yours was. People are conditioned to think an argument is a bad thing. Argument = reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong. Sure they can get heated and emotional, but questioning yourself is a good thing.

I can argue with @penumbra all the time... because I respect him Some of my best friends in bonsai I argued with continually (aka @Si Nguyen ) however it was an argument based on respect. I still own every tree I ever got from Si... and I cherish them because (in addition to coming from a friend) they also broke many of my pre-conceived notions of bonsai design.

My ultimate revenge will be to show one of Si's trees in a national show. And my ultimate revenge for @penumbra will be to invite him down to my garden, get him drunk, and then get him to admit that I am right

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I can argue with @penumbra all the time... because I respect him Some of my best friends in bonsai I argued with continually (aka @Si Nguyen ) however it was an argument based on respect. I still own every tree I ever got from Si... and I cherish them because (in addition to coming from a friend) they also broke many of my pre-conceived notions of bonsai design.

My ultimate revenge will be to show one of Si's trees in a national show. And my ultimate revenge for @penumbra will be to invite him down to my garden, get him drunk, and then get him to admit that am right

That's good stuff right there

 

[Paradox]

Lighting is an interesting discussion. I've had this same discussion in bonsai as well as fish tank communities.

I don't know if this helps any but I put my tropicals under fluorescent full spectrum lights for the winter.

One table has 3 32 watt 6400 K bulbs and the other has 6 of those bulbs. I chose 6400K bulbs because that is the spectrum recommended for lighting on freshwater planted tanks. Yea the lights are white to me but humans don't "see" light the same way plants do.

Florescent lights come in a lot of different spectrums. My old office had 3400k lighting and I've seen 5000k among others. They all look white or whitish.

I have 6400k LEDs on a freshwater tank that gets good plant growth from Anubias nana and bartoli. Reef tanks require lighting in the 10000k range to support coral. I had a setup with LEDs for lower light requirement corals for awhile.

On both my tropical winter tables, I get growth during the winter on ficus and BRT.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I'm finding it difficult to get a good picture, but here is the final result minus getting that cord out of the way of the BRT top left. Also the dark spots in the picture are from my phone I guess.


And the overgrown Barbados cherry on level 3 is because I wanted it to get healthy and it's flowering & I want it to fruit.